deGrom, Mets struggle against Brewers

Published 11:09 pm, Wednesday, May 31, 2017

New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) reacts after giving up a two-run home run to Milwaukee Brewers’ Eric Thames (7) during the first inning Wednesday in New York.

New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) reacts after giving up a two-run home run to Milwaukee Brewers’ Eric Thames (7) during the first inning Wednesday in New York.

Photo: Julie Jacobson — The Associated Press

deGrom, Mets struggle against Brewers

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NEW YORK >> Eric Thames hit his first home run in three weeks, Keon Broxton also went deep against an ineffective Jacob deGrom, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the New York Mets 7-1 Wednesday night for just their third win in 10 games.

Released by the Mets following a 50-game minor league drug suspension in 2009, Junior Guerra (1-0) defeated New York for the first time. He allowed four hits in six scoreless innings, struck out four and walked three, baffling batters with his splitter.

A 32-year-old right-hander who went 9-3 last year in his first season with the Brewers, Guerra hurt his right calf while running to first on a bunt during his opening day start and did not return until Friday. He had stints in Mexico, Italy and Venezuela, and with Wichita of the independent American Association before making his big league debut with the Chicago White Sox in 2015.

Eric Sogard walked on full counts in his first three plate appearances, then singled and flied out. The Brewers, surprise leaders in the NL Central, are 5-0 when he bats leadoff.

In his previous outing, deGrom (4-2) threw 118 pitches and became the first Mets starter this year to reach the ninth inning. Against the Brewers, he allowed seven runs, eight hits and five walks in four innings, raising his ERA from 3.23 to 3.97. The right-hander has given up multiple homers in four starts, double his 2016 total.

New York had been trying to stretch a winning streak to four for the first time early April. The Mets went 10-14 in April and 13-14 in May, the first time since 2013 they had losing records in both months.

Thames hit his 13th homer on May 9, then was slowed by a hamstring injury and strep throat. He was in an 0-for-19 skid entering Tuesday, when he singled, tripled and walked twice. He reached four times for the second straight night, homering on a changeup in the first for a 2-0 lead, doubling and walking twice.

Broxton homered leading off the second for a 3-0 lead, and the Brewers broke open the game in a four-run fourth. Jesus Aguilar had an RBI double on a drive that center fielder Curtis Granderson nearly caught with a dive — the ball hit the heel of his glove and popped out. Hernan Perez hit a two-run single, and Manny Pina had an RBI groundout. Before the inning, Milwaukee had been 2 for 27 with runners in scoring position in the series.

Rob Scahill allowed an RBI double to Michael Conforto in the ninth.

WEB GEMS

Mets SS Asdrubal Cabrera made a diving stop of Perez’s third-inning grounder and a glove flip to 2B Neil Walker, who caught the ball with his bare hand to force Travis Shaw. Perez just beat Walker’s one-hop throw to first, avoiding a double play. In the sixth, Conforto made a diving catch on Perez’s liner to left.

OUCH

Mets C Rene Rivera, plunked by a pitch on the right wrist Monday, was hit in the mask by foul balls in the first, second and fourth. ... Conforto was hit on the right leg by a pitch in the seventh.

WHOOPS

Domingo Santana said he lost track of the outs, which is why he didn’t run hard from first base on Jett Bandy’s bases-loaded popup with two outs in the seventh inning Tuesday night. Cabrera dropped the ball and two runs came across as Milwaukee tied the score 4-all, but Santana made it only to third and was stranded. The Brewers lost 5-4 in 12 innings. Santana said he was prepared to accept a fine from the players’ internal kangaroo court. “I don’t fine anybody,” manager Craig Counsell said. “The players do. You certainly discuss it. It’s something that can’t happen, for sure.”

OUT OF CONTROL

Mets pitchers walked eight for the second straight night.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mets LF Yoenis Cespedes, on the DL since April 28 with a strained left hamstring, did not play for the fifth straight day for Class A St. Lucie because of a sore right quadriceps. ... Mets broadcaster Keith Hernandez is scheduled for partial knee replacement surgery Thursday.

UP NEXT

RHP Chase Anderson (3-1) starts Thursday’s series finale for the Brewers, and RHP Zack Wheeler (3-2) goes for the Mets. Anderson had a no-hit bid last Saturday until Nick Ahmed’s leadoff single in the eighth at Arizona, setting career highs with 11 strikeouts and 114 pitches in seven-plus innings during a 6-1 win.